Friday, December 12, 2014

The rivalry
is set so deep in mind that any Indo-Pak game and India emerging winners is big
news – be it Cricket, Hockey or any other game – still the WC victory is not as
well reported in the media.

Blind cricket was invented
Melbourne in 1922 by two blind factory workers who improvised the game using a
tin can containing rocks. Blind cricket
is a version of the sport of cricket adapted for blind and partially sighted
players. It has been governed by the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) since
1996. The rules of blind cricket are based on the standard Laws of cricket with
some essential modifications. In terms of playing equipment, the major
adaptation is the ball, which is significantly larger than a standard cricket
ball and filled with ball bearings. The size allows partially sighted players
to see the ball and the contents allow blind players to hear it. The wicket
(stumps) is also larger, to allow partially sighted players to see and blind
players to touch it in order to correctly orient themselves when batting or
bowling. Various other modifications to the rules apply. Verbal signals are
widely used both by umpires and players: in particular, the bowler must shout
'Play!' as he releases the ball. The delivery is required to pitch at least
twice when bowled to a completely blind batsman (once when bowled to a
partially sighted batsman), but must not be rolling. Totally blind batsmen
cannot be out stumped, and must be found to be LBW twice before going out.
Totally blind fielders are allowed to take a catch on the bounce.

So far, four Blind World
Cups have been held, New Delhi, India (1998); Chennai, India (2002) and
Islamabad, Pakistan (2006). In 2012, the first Blind World Cup T20 was held in
Bangalore. South Africa won first BCWC in
1998 defeating Pakistan in the finals. The first T20 Blind Cricket World Cup
was held in Banglore, India in 2012. India defeated Pakistan by 29 runs in the
final.

Even as Cricket Association
for the Blind continues to struggle for support, Indian team successfully chased 390 in 40 overs and beat defending champions
Pakistan in final of the Blind Cricket World Cup (BCWC) at the Wally Wilson
Cricket Ground in Cape Town, South Africa on Sunday. Pakistan scored 389 runs
for the loss of 7 wickets in 40 overs. Pakistan's Muhammad Jamil made his third
century, scoring 107 runs. India managed to reach the target in 39.4 overs,
losing 5 wickets in the process. Indian batsmen, Prakasha Jayaramaiah scored 82
runs, while Ajay Reddy made 74. Jayaramaiah
guided his team to win in the Blind
Cricket World Cup final - India’s first-ever victory in the four editions of the
Blind World Cup, avenging their loss to
Pakistan in the final of the last edition held in Islamabad in 2006. India's
blind cricketers are used to winning, having previously bagged the T20 World
Cup at home in 2012.

Sachin Tendulkar took to
Twitter to salute the heroes. "Congratulations to Indian Visually Impaired
Cricket team on winning the World Cup. Should inspire the potential world
beaters in the country," he tweeted. Sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal
also lauded the boys, saying "India's maiden triumph in the Blind Cricket
world cup shows that these players are not only talented but have the ability
to be the best in the world." The sports ministry funded the team's trip
for the World Cup, providing them Rs 25 lakh. There is further happiness for them as each member
of the team was handed a cash reward of
Rs. 5 lakh by sports minister Sarbananda Sonowal.

Cabinet minister for social
justice and empowerment Thawar Chand Gehlot also said that his ministry will
also give Rs. 2 lakh to each of the players. Earlier, the players and the team
officials were received at the IGI airport by Gehlot, another cabinet minister
chemical and fertilizers Ananth Kumar and Sonowal in the morning. The players
joys knew no bounds as they had personal audience with Shri Narendra Modi and
posed for photos. India will host the
2016 Blind Cricket T20 World Cup.